11/30/08

The other day it seemed strange to me that Chabad Lubavitch would have an Indian headquarters. Shows you what I know. Come to find out, young Israelis flock to India by the tens of thousands every year. They go there with their IDF money to get stoned and come to terms with the horrible choice they've been given: be an Israeli, or be a human being. The Chabad Lubavitch acts as kind of chaperone, collecting and dealing with wasted Israelis who have 'flipped out' on drugs.

We used to call kids like this wastes back in the day. They wasted their time, they wasted their minds, they wasted their lives. Israel produces these young people by the thousands.

11/28/08

WASHINGTON (AFP) — George W. Bush hopes history will see him as a president who liberated millions of Iraqis and Afghans, who worked towards peace and who never sold his soul for political ends.

"I'd like to be a president (known) as somebody who liberated 50 million people and helped achieve peace," Bush said in excerpts of a recent interview released by the White House Friday.

"I would like to be a person remembered as a person who, first and foremost, did not sell his soul in order to accommodate the political process. I came to Washington with a set of values, and I'm leaving with the same set of values."

He also said he wanted to be seen as a president who helped individuals, "that rallied people to serve their neighbor; that led an effort to help relieve HIV/AIDS and malaria on places like the continent of Africa; that helped elderly people get prescription drugs and Medicare as a part of the basic package."

Bush added that every day during his eight-year presidency he had consulted the Bible and drawn comfort from his faith.

"I would advise politicians, however, to be careful about faith in the public arena," the US leader said in the interview with his sister Doro Bush Koch recorded as part of an oral history program known as Storycorps.

As his second term in office draws to an end, Bush joked he would miss some of the trappings that come with the presidency such as trips on Air Force One, never being stuck in a traffic jam, and the president's residence at Camp David.

But he said he was glad to be stepping back into the shadows.

"Frankly, I'm not going to miss the limelight all that much. It's been a fabulous experience to be the president ... But it will be nice to see the Klieg lights shift somewhere else."

The interview, which Bush recorded with First Lady Laura Bush, will be stored in the library of Congress and a museum devoted to the Bush presidency.

Sure, Buddy. It's gonna be just like that. Mmm hmm.

You know, in his own pathetic little delusional way, George W. Bush is quite the sad sack.

"They were very young, like boys really, wearing jeans and T-shirts," he said, adding that he and another hostage managed to escape on the 18th floor.

Really. And they targeted Jews. Specifically the Chabad Lubavitch headquarters.http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/as_india_shooting;_ylt=AnkQ4KHZrKdJNsO9K2j_F4as0NUE

But they're not very effective in killing the actual targets. Despite their bags of almond snacks, the terrorists kill mostly innocent bystanders. Confusion reigns about whether or not the high-value (ie: British, American and Jewish) hostages have been released. Keep on worrying everyone.

Naturally, Al Qaeda immediately rises to the top of the suspects list. The responsible group, however, has never been heard of before. Somehow these terrorist cells always miraculously escape intelligence and burst onto the scene completely unexpectedly. Which is weird, you know, that they're so good at avoiding surveillance but yet they suck at the nuts and bolts of carrying out an effective terrorist attack. Hmm.

But we know that these terrorists are vicious young Islamic extremists and Muslim militants. What other explanation can there possibly be?

-- blink blink blink --

Look up Chabad Lubavitch. The Chabad Lubavitch is a Jewish Supremacist group whose leaders regularly enjoy audiences with world leaders.

Here they are with George W. Bush:

And here are some with Michael Chertoff. These rabbis have had their pictures taken with many famous people. Go ahead and look it up. Look up what they stand for. Have you ever heard of them? Do you think they are some obscure, harmless rabbis? Think again. These are powerful people who throw their weight around at the highest levels.

Isn't it strange that their Indian headquarters would be involved in this terrorist attack? What are the odds of that happening? Why does the Chabad Lubavitch even have Indian headquarters?

But can't you just hear it now? "Oh, gee whiz some nice Jewish scholars were attacked by evil Muslim Islamofacist terrorists in India! What are we gonna do, Louise? And they attacked British and Americans citizens, too! They must hate us for our freedoms, and they're anti-Semitic to boot! Goodness gracious. What's this world coming to??"

Some 200 attorneys and jurists packed a ballroom of the Madison Hotel in Morris Township, N.J., for two presentations dealing the nexus between civil rights law and Talmudic jurisprudence.

The topic for the second-annual Jewish Law Symposium, a project of Chabad-Lubavitch of Southeast Morris County, was "Democracy and the Uncertain Fate of Individual Rights."

Leading off the discussion was New Jersey Supreme Court Justice Barry T. Albin, who tackled the traditional American concept of civil rights; Rabbi Shlomo Yaffe, dean of the Institute of American and Talmudic Law, gave attendees the Jewish approach to the issue.

In a surprise appearance, the newly installed chief justice of the New Jersey Supreme Court, Stuart Rabner, shared a few words with the crowd before turning the dais over to Albin.

Participants could earn New York and Pennsylvania Continuing Legal Education credits for their attendance. "

The laws and ethics of the Talmud have served as a cornerstone of humanity's civil and moral infrastructure, while shaping it's legal systems," said Rabbi Shalom Lubin, founder of the Jewish Law Symposium and executive director of the sponsoring Chabad House."

MICHAEL A. HOFFMAN'S NOTE: The "Institute of American and Talmudic Law" (see below) was co-founded by Nathan Lewin, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia's close friend. Lewin is a member of the institute's faculty. Mr. Lewin is on record advocating the killing of the parents and siblings of Palestinian suicide bombers. Justice Scalia is a staunch supporter of the institute, which teaches American judges and lawyers how to apply rabbinic halacha to US courts. There was widespread condemnation of Rowan Williams, England's Archbishop of Canterbury, when he said recently that some of Islam's Sharia law should be allowed to play a part in British jurisprudence. But the incorporation of Talmudic law into the US judiciary raises nary a whisper of disapprobation from the crusaders for "Western values"who denounced Williams. Do they imagine that rabbinic law is a western value? Note that the state education departments of New York and Pennsylvania officially accredit the Institute of American and Talmudic Law. Needless to say, the association of the Talmud with "civil rights" for gentiles is chutzpagh with a capital "C." Such falsification would leave even George Orwell speechless.

Our worst fears have come true. It is clear that Mossad is involved in the whole affair. An entire city has been attacked by Mossad and probably units of mercenaries. It is not possible for one single organization to plan and execute such a sophisticated operation. It is clear that this operation was backed by communal forces from within the Indian State. The Home Minister Shivraj Patil should resign. The RSS-BJP-VHP-Bajrang Dal should be banned. Advani and others ought to be arrested. Today is a day of shame for all Indians and all Hindus. Muslims and secular Hindus have been proven right. RSS type forces and Israel are all involved in not only destabilizing but finishing India. India should immediately snap all relations with Israel. We owe this much to Karkare and the brave ATS men who had shown the courage to arrest Praggya Singh, Raj Kumar Purohit, the army officer and several others.

Modern criminal investigation still rests on the Aristotile's 3 equally important causal factors: Means, Method and Motivation.

Factor analysis - Means, Method and Motivation: Powerful western media organisations reinforce their opinions with repetition, linking assaults like these with former "Islamist attacks" and another "terrorist attack". Their logic and factor analysis use (1) the weapons used, (2) the similarity of past attacks by "Al Queda" and (3) motivation. But of course they never consider the possibility, based on this same factor analysis, that the architects may be the CIA and/or Mossad.

Means: That the most powerful military machine in the world has the means to arm groups like the one who is carrying out the Mumbai attacks requires no apology or defense.

Method: History is replete with examples of U.S./Israeli use of a surrogate to attack their enemies. William John Fox pointed this out in his exemplary analysis, Deliver Us From Chaos: Ten Political Commandments.In 1953 theyused domestic terrorism to overthrow Mohammad Mosaddeq, former Prime Minister of Iran. They used the Afghan Mujahideen to attack Russia in the same year of their resistance. The CIA and the U.S. ambassador secretly engineered the “Rose Revolution” in Georgia in 2003 and "the U.S. encouraged the Israeli-trained Georgian army to invade the disputed enclave of South Ossetia five years later".

Motivation: The only difference between the factors used by the capitalist media and ours is motivation. Regarding motivation, CNN states "they (Deccan Mujahideen) want to create as much damage and attention to themselves as possible". CIA/Mossad are masters at destruction, but the last thing they want is bringing attention to themselves. Motivation for the U.S. to take it's war to Pakistan fits perfectly with these attacks. As a matter of fact, Barack Obama and Joe Biden already declared their intention to take the war to Pakistan and stated with certainty that Obama's "mettle would be tested" by a major international "incident" in the near future. If the perpetrators want to draw attention to themselves, their method (i.e. killing civilians), simply does not make sense unless one buys the Bush regime's religion-based simplism that they are simply "evil". Militant's fighting for causes such as independence or national sovereignty want least of all, international negative attention or popular hatred. The only thing missing from the corporate media explanation is George W. Bush's idiotic claim that "the terrorists are jealous of our freedoms". Using this the corporate media's methodology, it is entirely reasonable and just as easy to implicate the CIA and Mossad.

The disastrous military adventure OK'd by the U.S. gave Putin the excuse he needed to declare the return of Russia as a regional power and nip American energy plans in the bud, with huge consequences. Now more than ever, the EU countries will be loathe to anger Russia. America's recent signing of the missile defence agreement with Poland has further angered Putin, and it is European countries that could suffer the consequences.

European members of NATO recently moderated the aggressive American push for membership for the Ukraine and Georgia by saying it would come "eventually." But that now looks to be a very long way off. Would the European members of NATO really want to engage in a war with Russia over another incursion into tiny Georgia? They would be obliged to do so if Georgia was a member.

The European Commission is to propose pulling the EU`s six post-Soviet neighbours closer to the West by recognising their "European aspirations" and creating a new "European Economic Area." But a draft communique indicates that EU-Russia relations have preferential status, EUObserver reported.

"The conflict in Georgia in August 2008 and its broader repercussions have resulted in increased awareness of the vulnerability of Eastern partners," the draft commission communication on the Eastern Partnership (EP) - seen by EUobserver - says. "There is a sense of urgency among member states as to the need to enhance relations with our Eastern neighbours to support them in drawing closer to the EU."

The new EU policy - first floated by Poland and Sweden last year - proposes signing "Association Agreements" with Belarus, Moldova, Ukraine, Georgia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in the next few years and to "acknowledge the European identity and aspirations of these countries."

The draft communique underlines that the new pacts, which recall the association treaties signed with Poland or Lithuania prior to the 2004 round of enlargement, do not amount to a promise of future accession. "The conclusion of Association Agreements will be without prejudice to the partners` European aspirations."

But the EP is to contain measures designed to send "a clear and lasting political message of EU solidarity" and to "produce benefits perceived and recognised by citizens of the partner countries."

In other words, the people living in these post-Soviet countries can 'feel' like they're Europeans, but they're not, although they can all trade and share certain things...eventually.

The moves include establishing "a single deep and comprehensive free trade area, providing the basis for the development of a common internal market, such as the European Economic Area [EEA]," which the EU currently has with Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein.

The future EEA will require the six states to "take over the entire acquis communautaire [the EU`s legal code], including the acceptance of European Court of Justice rulings."

The Eastern Partnership will aim to create visa free travel in the long-term, but to waive the cost of obtaining EU visas more quickly and to set up Common Application Centres in the six countries to help people enter the EU`s passport-free Schengen zone.

In exchange for throwing these 'European aspiring' post-Soviet people a bone, Europe gets something from Russia, and Sarkozy gets The Credit.

On the energy front, memorandums of understanding are to help guarantee EU energy security, leading to "joint management, and even ownership of pipelines by companies of supplier, transit and consumer countries."

The draft communique indicates that Armenia should close its Medzamor nuclear plant and notes EU "concern" over energy infrastructure in conflict zones, such as a Russia-Balkans gas pipeline running through the disputed Moldovan region of Transdniestria.

At the institutional level, the commission is to publish the final version of its EP communication on 3 December, in time for the French EU presidency`s last summit on 11 December to cement the text in its conclusions.

After that, it's more or less on the slow boat.

The draft communique proposes holding an "Eastern Partnership Summit" in June 2009 to launch the project. Follow-up meetings of EU and Eastern Partnership foreign ministers are to take place each Spring. "Senior officials" from the "27 + 5(6)" countries are to meet twice-yearly to prepare for the ministerials.

The European Partnership is to raise the EU`s per capita spending in the region from the current €6 per head to €12 per head by 2013 and €20 per head by 2020, compared to the current €30 per head in the Balkans. The shift will cost €2.1 billion, atop the lost income of €75 million per year as a result of waiving EU visa costs.

All of this being contingent on keeping neighbor Russia happy.

A brief sentence in the political preamble of the commission`s draft communique indicates that EU-Russia relations will take priority over EU relations with the Eastern Partnership countries, however.

"The Eastern Partnership ...should be seen as complementary to the relations between the EU and Russia that include a dialogue on our common neighbourhood," the draft text states.

The EU already gives Russia privileged treatment compared to other post-Communist neighbours such as Ukraine in trade and visa negotiations, offering to let Russian passenger jets fly in the EU under Russian rules or to change EU visa laws to help Russians travel into the union.

Asked why he expected the U.S. to break up into separate parts, he said: "A whole range of reasons. Firstly, the financial problems in the U.S. will get worse. Millions of citizens there have lost their savings. Prices and unemployment are on the rise. General Motors and Ford are on the verge of collapse, and this means that whole cities will be left without work. Governors are already insistently demanding money from the federal center. Dissatisfaction is growing, and at the moment it is only being held back by the elections and the hope that Obama can work miracles. But by spring, it will be clear that there are no miracles."

He also cited the "vulnerable political setup", "lack of unified national laws", and "divisions among the elite, which have become clear in these crisis conditions."

He predicted that the U.S. will break up into six parts - the Pacific coast, with its growing Chinese population; the South, with its Hispanics; Texas, where independence movements are on the rise; the Atlantic coast, with its distinct and separate mentality; five of the poorer central states with their large Native American populations; and the northern states, where the influence from Canada is strong.

He even suggested that "we could claim Alaska - it was only granted on lease, after all."

Please, if you're going to take over Alaska, take Sarah Palin with it.

Israel's defence establishment in a recommendation paper to be presented to the Cabinet has asked it to make contingency plans to attack Iran, reach a peace agreement with Syria and prevent polls in the Palestinian areas even if Tel Aviv has to confront with the US.

...The paper strongly recommends close cooperation with US to prevent a deal between Washington and Tehran that would undermine Israel's interests.

Even if you feel like, you know....Eeeeeeww.

The paper calls for"an agreement with Syria", despite the "heavy price Israel would have to pay". ...The paper proposes various steps to strengthen Jewish state's ties with moderate Sunni Arab countries, especially Saudi Arabia. "Israel must examine ways to expand its dialogue with Saudi Arabia on various shared interests."

Let's close the loop. Syria and Russia have a mutual admiration society, so when Israel sucks up to Syria, Israel is sucking up to Russia. Which Israel needs to do. This 8.23 article by Sami Moubayed gives an impressive review of the diplomatic pressures involved. It's well worth reading the whole thing. Written before the financial crisis imploded, he posits that the US would need to bring the Syrians and the Israelis to the same table; but it appears that in this bizarro time between the financial crisis and January 20th, the Bush administration has indeed become completely irrelevant. The Israelis will talk to Syria without us, and in fact, it looks like they're planning to ditch us completely. This proves that power has truly shifted. We must be toast.

One has to wonder...Russia has come out way ahead in geopolitical power, we're on the skids, the Israelis are acting totally weird, and Saakass is still alive...

11/24/08

The whole rationale for our war in Afghanistan probably would be exposed to the world as the farce that it is if the Bush administration allowed its "War on Terror" prisoners to use the writ of habeas corpus to challenge their detentions. That appears to be a major reason, if not the major reason, why the Bush administration has for several years fought tooth and nail to deny its prisoners the habeas corpus rights that are guaranteed under our Constitution. And it is also probably a major reason why whenever our courts have over-ruled the Bush administration in specific cases, Bush has released the respective prisoners rather than allow them a fair and open trial.

The whole rationale for our Afghanistan war is based on the presumed refusal of the Taliban to turn over Osama bin Laden, whom George Bush claimed to have perpetrated the 9/11 attacks on our country, to U.S. custody. But there are enough holes in that story to drive a truck through.

The ultimate rationale behind the indefinite imprisonment without charges of many or most of our "War on Terror" prisoners is rooted in the claim that they fought for the Taliban or al Qaeda against our country (when we invaded it). Since we accuse the Taliban of harboring bin Laden, whom we claim perpetrated the 9/11 attacks, and since we also claim that the Taliban knew of bin Laden's role in the 9/11 attacks and yet refused to hand him over to us, therefore the Taliban is guilty of terrorism, and so is anyone who fought for the Taliban when U.S. troops invaded their country.

Since that scenario provides the rationale for our imprisonment of the so-called "terrorists", and would therefore provide the basis for any formal charges that were to be brought against them in a fair and open trial, and since the underlying scenario can be so easily disproven, obviously the defendants' lawyers would attempt to expose that scenario for the fraud that it is if they were given the chance to do so in a fair and open trial. And then the whole house of cards that we call the "War on Terror" would come tumbling down. And then of course, quite a few high level officials would be vulnerable to war crimes charges.

They can never back down because of the ultimate consequences. This dovetails with Lobaczewski's work on ponorology, specifically where he describes why the pathocracy can never back down: their very survival is at stake.

Pathocracy survives thanks to the feeling of being threatened by the society of normal people, as well as by other countries wherein various forms of the system of normal man persist. For the rulers, staying on top is therefore the classic problem of 'to be or not to be.'

We can thus formulate a more cautious question: can such a system ever waive territorial and political expansion abroad and settle for its present possessions? What would happen if such a state of affairs ensured internal peace, corresponding order, and relative prosperity within the nation? The overwhelming majority of the country's population would then make skillful use of all the emerging possibilities, taking advantage of their superior qualifications in order to fight for an ever-increasing scope of activities; thanks to their higher birth rate, their power will increase. This majority will be joined by some soms from the privileged class who did not inherit the pathological genes. The pathocracy's dominance will weaken imperceptibly but steadily, finally leading to a situation wherein the society of normal people reaches for power. This is a nightmare vision to the psychopath.

Thus, the biological, psychological, moral, and economic destruction of the majority of normal people becomes, for the pathocrats, a 'biological' necessity. Many means serve this end, starting with concentration camps and including warfare with an obstinate, well-armed foe who will devastate and debilitate the human power thrown at him, namely the very power jeopardizing pathocrats rule: the sons of normal man sent out to fight for an illusionary 'noble cause.' Once safely dead, the soldiers will then be decreed heroes to be revered in paeans, useful for raising a new generation fiathful to the pathocracy and ever willing to go to their deaths to protect it. (Lobaczewski, p. 146)

Looked at through Lobaczewski's prism, Obama must convince the current pathocrats that he will not hold them accountable, otherwise they will never agree to leave. They will do anything to survive for another day. Anything. That's why they have their hooks in Obama. That's why he must accommodate them, convincingly. Otherwise, they will panic and trigger some catastrophe to prevent the transfer of power. Therefore, we must understand our predicament and hold judgment in abeyance. Obama's utterly convincing groveling to the pathocracy could quite possibly be the only thing standing between us and WW III/Martial Law.

11/23/08

The hospital blames the ban on strict rules over packaging and labelling from the Food Standards Agency – although the FSA maintained last night it made no such demands on the ladies’ cakes.

Alan Davidson, the hospital’s director of estates and facilities, said: ‘We appreciate the support volunteers give to our hospitals but there are strict guidelines in place, enforced by the FSA, over food sold to the public.

'This means all food should be packaged appropriately, date-stamped and ingredients listed.

‘This is in the interests of maintaining and protecting the health of the public.’

Well, perhaps Mr. Davidson worries about somebody getting sick and suing the hospital. We can understand that. Probably this will get worked out with a few sharpies, a couple of labels and some Saran Wrap.

With temperatures well below freezing early Saturday, the churches must obey a city rule requiring faith-based shelters to be open at least five days a week -- or not at all.

Arnold Cohen, president of the Partnership for the Homeless, a nonprofit that serves as a link with the city, said he had to tell the churches they no longer qualify.

He said hundreds of people now won't have a place to sleep.

The Department of Homeless Services said the city offers other shelters with the capacity to accept all those who have been sleeping in the churches. The city had 8,000 beds waiting.

Oh phew. It's not clear why the five days or nothing rule came into existence, but at least the city has enough beds for all the homeless people. Still...it seems a little twisted to set a limit like this. What exactly is the rationale, dear city officials, for it escapes us? This story made the rounds widely yesterday because it offends common sense and elicits that wtf feeling.

World media continues to ignore the desperate situation, Israel however has contributed to that by barring journalists from entering Gaza, a move condemned earlier this week by the Foreign Press Association. The UN appears to be a lone voice in trying to engineer some relief.

Karen AbuZayd, commissioner-general of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, said the human toll of this month's sealing of Gaza's goods crossings was the gravest in eight years.

"It's been closed for so much longer than ever before and we have nothing in our warehouses. It will be a catastrophe if this persists, a disaster," said AbuZayd, whose agency is the largest aid body providing services to Palestinian refugees.

"They are not just under occupation, they are under siege, it's a word I don't usually use, they are completely closed off," she added.

Well let us have the explanation then. Why does Israel do this?

United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, who issued a statement saying he supported statements by the Gazan office, telephoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday urging him to provide access for UN food trucks. Olmert said he would look into the situation on an urgent basis.

By Friday Ban had received no word back from Olmert, so he bypassed him and telephoned Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni to stress the urgency of the situation. Livni however rebuffed the UN Secretary-General's plea saying the world should be condemning Palestinian rocket attacks.

"Whoever thinks that a situation of them firing at us, while everything continues as usual, can exist is mistaken," her office said in a statement. "The international community must be more decisive in making itself heard, and in using its influence, in the face of these attacks."

Israeli human rights organization Gisha in a letter to the Israeli army on Thursday from its attorney Yadin Elam said the closure of crossings, "is done with the illegal intention of inflicting pressure on the civilian population in an attempt to affect the behavior of militants and political elements. The closure of the crossings is therefore in violation of the absolute prohibition in International Law against collective punishment." THe UN also this week described the Israeli crackdown as collective punishment.

So let's recap. The world media ignores the profound human suffering in Gaza, assisted by Israel's barring journalists from covering the situation on the ground. After four days of being ignored by Olmert, the UN Secretary General takes his urgent concerns to the shrew Tzipi Livni, who blames the international community for not paying enough attention to Palestinian rocket attacks which have failed to inflict any damage or casualties.

In addition to preventing access for food supplies Israel has refused to allow European Union-funded fuel supplies into Gaza, starving the power generation plant of fuel which has caused widespread blackouts up to 16 hours a day. Water facilities, including access to clean drinking water, and the treatment of raw sewage continue is also being severely disrupted by fuel shortages. Fifty to sixty million liters of untreated and partially treated sewage are being dumped into the Gaza Strip Mediterranean Sea daily, posing a public health risk.

You see, it's not Israel's fault for causing all this suffering, because all you people in the international community ignore their suffering. Therefore, they have no choice but to ignore International Law and inflict horrific collective punishment on the Palestinians. And no, you can't come into Gaza and see, but if you want a tour of Sderot they can show you lots of Israelis who have been traumatized by loud noises.

11/22/08

I believe in aristocracy though, it that is the right word and if a democrat may use it. Not an aristocracy of power based upon rank and influence, but an aristocracy of the sensitive, the considerate and the plucky. Its members are to be found in all nations and classes and all through the ages and there is a secret understanding between them when they meet. They represent the true human tradition, the one permanent victory of our queer race over cruelty and chaos. - E.M. Forster

Today we find many parents who wish to be, along with their children, part of the aristocratic class. But it's not the aristocracy that E.M. Forster was talking about. it's a fake aristocracy based on external trappings with a hollow core. These children go out in the world expecting an awful lot of attention, pampering and special treatment from everyone. They believe their own hype, causing problems for other children, for other parents, for teachers, and for coaches. Then they grow up and cause problems for employers and neighbors and friends. This problem may be blamed, with some fairness in my opinion, at the feet of the baby boomers and their offspring, who blithely tossed traditional child-rearing values aside and started in on this hyper-competitive achievement-oriented culture where everyone gets measured, from cradle to grave, by his or her success collecting money, status, power, toys, etc. The art of raising well-adjusted children has become something of an arcane pursuit despite the enormous industry of self-help books, parenting magazines, and reality tv shows which has sprung up around it.

In order to teach children how to behave with sensitivity, consideration and pluck, you have to truly value those things yourself. Specifically, they must be more valuable to you than material success; for in truth, goodness is its own reward. Society will not bend over backwards to help out the sensitive, the considerate, and the plucky; as you probably already know. In fact, a great many people view these qualities as weaknesses to be exploited. That's why the sensitive, the considerate and the plucky form a sort of aristocracy -- because they persist in being good despite the often punishing consequences. This is the road less traveled.

To bring your children up this way is a tremendous gift to society, but you must never expect any thanks or even an acknowledgement. You must do it purely out of love.

If you have three people in a basic family (woman, man, child), your family dynamics form a triangle. There are three relationships: mum/child, dad/child, husband/wife. When you add another child, the dynamics increase to six: mum/first child, mum/second child, dad/first child, dad/second child, first child/second child, husband/wife. And when you add a third child, the dynamics go to nine, and so forth. These dynamics need to be ordered and organized for stability. That is the parents' job. Because of the manipulation of cultural forces, this parental instinct has become dulled over time. Conveniently, after people make a mess of their families, they turn to the enormous parenting industry for help. Sometimes it is too late, and we all pay the price for these broken families. But when a stable husband/wife dynamic grounds the family, many benefits flow to the children. The happy children put less strain on the parents, and the system self-reinforces. [Just as an aside, the Religious Right does not have proprietary ownership of this information. They didn't 'invent' this knowledge -- it belongs to all of humanity, who figured it out and passed it down long before the Religious Right ever blighted the face of the earth. While families can function in other ways, it's a mistake to cast this particular way aside just because the Religious Right laid an obnoxious proprietary claim to it. I just want to make that clear.]

Good parenting boils down to this: the parents need to be the parents, and the children need to be the children, and the parents remain in charge until such time that the children internalize stability. It's as simple as that. So how do you help the children internalize stability? Like this:

You want to ensure compliance and accountability from your children, so when they're young, have them repeat your directives back to you. For instance, if you think your child wants to resist you, say: "What did I just say? What are you going to do?" When your words come out of their little mouths, it's harder for them to claim confusion. Their little shoulders may slump, or worse, but they will get over it. To be extra sure, get confirmation: "Do you understand? Are you sure?" Now everything is very clear.

Grateful children are happy children. Train your children to be grateful and respectful to you, as the parent. You love them and give them everything they need (not want), do you not? You have every meal and snack as a training opportunity, just for starters. When you give them a bowl of cereal, ask: "What do you say?" When they say "Thank you," say "You're welcome." This habit, once instilled, is practically unbreakable. Soon you will never have to wonder whether your children thanked Mr. Coach for a ride, because your children will be completely reliable on this matter.

Do not put up with fresh mouths, harangues and whines. Just don't. As soon as it starts, put an end to it. You can say, "Excuse me?" with a shocked and bemused expression. You can say, "This conversation is over," and leave the room. You can say, "Do not speak to me like that."

Do not get sucked into sibling rivalries. This is where family dynamics often get seriously out of whack, as the parent(s) get induced to throw their weight around. Don't do it. As long as nobody is really injured, tell siblings to work it out. Tell them you don't want to hear it and then ignore them. If something happens leading to a fight, but you didn't see it, punish them all. If you do see it, react immediately and clearly, punishing the offender without matyring the other(s). There's a bright line between tattling for nothing and tattling for safety. Make that crystal clear. Make a big deal when a child makes the right call on tattling.

Make your children help the family. Say: "We *still* don't have a maid" if they waltz off after supper. If they're flopped out while you are doing chores, say: "I see you're not busy. Fold this laundry (sweep the stairs) (pick up your room) (etc.)" Tell them to solve problems, especially if they just lazily want you to fix something they can do themselves. Say: "Figure it out. You can do it."

Be the adult, and be an ally. Provide your children with the security of knowing that you can handle problems. "There's nothing so bad you can't tell me." If they need to get out of peer pressure or some uncomfortable situation, say: "You can blame it on me if you need to. I don't care."

Build trust and confidentiality within your family. You have the right and responsibility to advise your children. They will have to deal with problematic people, and you will need to instruct them what to do. You cannot let them be doormats, but you must be very clear about expectations. "This conversation does not leave this family."

When it's necessary, punish effectively and build resilience. Know what your child most enjoys, and withhold that thing when you need to discipline. Don't shield your children from your anger and disappointment. Be honest.

Explain how the world really works. If you raise your children this way, you must also help them to protect themselves. Trust but verify. Ask lots of questions about the people they interact with. Find out if anyone is taking advantage of them and give specific instructions on how to handle the problem. Help them select good friends, and always meet the parents. As soon as your child picks up a new habit, good or bad, find out where it came from and put your child on notice that you are paying attention.

Move on. You have to let go and move on from mistakes, yours and theirs. Don't rehash things.

By the time children reach seven or so, they really begin to see the advantages of this kind of parenting. They start to appreciate it. It draws the family bonds tighter, as they understand that you are helping them form good character. They respect you for knowing how to do this. They see how other children are deprived of these gifts, miserably drowning in material possessions. Your children will be well on their way to becoming sensitive, considerate, and plucky people.

My grandmother called this a Good Upbringing, and I think it used to be much more common. A Good Upbringing is absolutely the best gift you can give to your children and to society. This knowledge belongs to all of humanity. We just need to remember how to do it and pass it on.

11/21/08

If you read over at Urban Survival, you know that George Ure has spoken of the Summer of Hell coming next year. Something about money being a lot less important to people in 2009, blah blah blah.

Here's a prediction site targeted toward Europeans, the GlobalEurope Anticipation Bulletin, and lo and behold, they also predict terrible things be happening by next summer. Maybe we should take this seriously, hmm?

The G20-meeting held in Washington on November 14/15, 2008, is in its essence a historical indicator that the Western - above all Anglo-Saxon - monopoly on global economic and financial governance, is coming to an end. Nevertheless, according to LEAP/E2020, this meeting also clearly demonstrated that this kind of summits is doomed to inefficiency because they concentrate on curing the symptoms (banks’ and hedge funds’ financial difficulties, derivative markets’ explosion, financial and currency markets’ dramatic volatility, ...) rather than the fundamental root of the current crisis, i.e. the collapse of the Bretton Woods system based on the US Dollar as sole pillar of the global monetary system. Without a complete overhaul of the system inherited from 1944 by summer 2009, the failing of the current system and that of the United States at the center, will lead the whole planet to an unprecedented economic, social, political and strategic instability, and more specifically to a breakdown of the global monetary system by summer 2009. In light of the technocratic jargon and calendar of the declaration released after this first G20-meeting (totally disconnected from the speed and scope of the unfolding crisis (1)), it is more than likely that the disaster will have to happen for the fundamental problems to be seriously addressed and for the beginning of a reply to be initiated.

But wait there's more!

The agitation that has seized global leaders since the end of September 2008 indicates that panic has struck at the highest level. Worldwide political leaders have now understood that the house is on fire. But they have not yet perceived something obvious: that the very structure of the building is involved. Improving fire-regulations or reorganizing emergency services will not be sufficient. To use a strong symbolic image, the World Trade Center’s twin towers did not collapse because firemen were late or because water was missing in the automatic fire-system, they collapsed because their structure was not meant to support the shock of two airliners hitting them in just a few minutes.

Wrong. The towers collapsed because they were previously rigged with explosives. The airliners hitting the buildings provided a pretext to 'pull' the towers, allowing Larry Silverstein to collect on his insurance policy, allowing the enormous Patriot Act to be pulled out of the bottom storage drawer and shoved through Congress, allowing the demonization of Muslims, allowing the endless War on Terror, allowing the destruction of Afghanistan and Iraq and the murder of over one million innocent civilians and over 4,000 US servicepeople, allowing war profiteers to rake in money hand over fist, etc. etc. etc.

Today’s global monetary system is in a similar situation: the twin-towers are the Bretton Woods system, and the airliners are called « subprime crisis », « banking failures », « economic recession », « Very Great US Depression », « US deficits », … a whole squadron.

In his testimony before Congress, the then CEO of Bear Stearns, Alan Schwartz, said that the run on Bear's stock had been "induced." He went on to say that his company, while saddled with a substantial amount of bad paper in the form of these worthless MBS (mortgage backed securities), was not in such bad shape that it could not have recovered had not there been a "whisper" campaign insisting that Bear's collapse was inevitable. It was this which doomed Bear Stearns, Schwartz told Congress, otherwise they would have recovered in a year or two without the need of governmental intervention.

Instead what happened was that J. P. Morgan Chase (the Rothschild banking empire, prominent members of the U.S. Federal Reserve Bank and other national banks), after the sell-off, came forward to "rescue" Bear by successfully offering pennies on the dollar of the pre-fall value of the company. JPMC also got the government to indemnify against potential losses from Bear's bad paper to the tune of thirty billion dollars. This sum to be borrowed from the Fed.

Crisis? Not for the Rothschilds. As Fed members they and other cartel members had their chairman and servant, Alan Greenspan, not only sanction these new mortgage-based derivatives but advocate for them as well. These MBS led to a general decline in the housing and credit markets which, in turn, accompanied by whispers, led to an investor confidence crisis and a large reduction in the share prices of investment banks. Then JPMC, like the cavalry of olde, rode in to offer help by buying Bear for next to nothing and infusing it with much needed capital. How magnanimous!

Back to GEAB...

Today’s leaders, who all belong to the collapsing world (including Barak Obama (3)), cannot possibly imagine how to solve the problem, just like central bankers in 2006/2007 could not possibly imagine the scope the unfolding crisis could reach (4). It is their world which is disappearing under their eyes, their beliefs and their illusions (sometimes similar) (5). According to our team, a 20 percent renewal of worldwide leaders is required to begin to see sustainable solutions (6) appear. This is indeed, according to LEAP/E2020, the « critical mass » needed to permit any fundamental change of perspective in a complex not very hierarchical human group. Today we are still far from reaching this critical mass: in order to contribute to finding solutions to the crisis, those new leaders must accede power in full awareness of the crisis’ specific nature.

According to LEAP/E2020, if global leaders fail to realize that in the next three months and to take actions in the next six months, as explained in GEAB N°28, the US debt will « implode » by summer 2009 under the shape of the country’s defaulting or the Dollar’s dramatic devaluation. This implosion will follow closely a number of similar episodes affecting less central countries (see GEAB N°28), including the United Kingdom whose already huge debt is ballooning at the same pace as Washington’s (7). In the same way as the US Federal Reserve saw, month after month, its « Primary Dealers » (8) being swept away by the crisis before it was itself confronted to a real problem of capitalization and therefore survival, the United States in the coming year will witness the implosion of all countries too-closely integrated to their economy and finance, and of their allies financially too-dependent on them (9).

Alternatively, one might conclude that today's leaders understand precisely what is happening, and allow it to happen anyway. Hmm? Let us give them a little more credit in the intelligence department and much less credit in the ethics department. I am willing to believe that some of them may be Deeply Troubled by this state of affairs, but unfortunately for them, they are apparently powerless to stop the train; and furthermore, most if not all of them have been bribed or otherwise compromised. For instance, here Christopher Story describes how collective treaties come about:

Successive European collective treaties are routinely procured by means of gross bribery. In that report, we exposed the fact that slush fund payments worth $100 million equivalent for each of the 25 EU 'Member States' had been 'bunged' to prime 'facilitators' of the (subsequently unratified) EU 'Constitution' Treaty. The normal procedure is for 50% of the available slush money to be paid to the national 'facilitators' on completion of the Intergovernmental Conference at which these odious anti-nation state EU collective treaties are 'negotiated', and for the second 50% (in that instance, worth a further $2.5 billion in total) to be paid to the corrupt 'facilitators' on ratification.

Bribes. Half paid on negotiation, the other half paid on ratification. It's so simple a monkey can do it. All you need is a bunch of ethically challenged people in power, and as we all know, nobody in any position of power has achieved his or her status ethically intact. In fact, the very essence of success in the world today depends on functioning in a ponerologically sick environment. You must be compromised or you will not move up. It is simply too dangerous for the people at the top to have ethically uncompromised people around. Somebody could get caught! Perish the thought.

So let's cut right through the BS now. The people who own the money are taking the system down on purpose. They have enough money to pay off all of our leaders, who will therefore do nothing about it. Anybody who opens his or her mouth will be taken down or out.

Maybe by next summer we will find people cooperating to survive. Maybe by next summer we will redefine success. Maybe by next summer we will begin to honor people who value people, not money. Maybe something good will come out of all this suffering.

11/20/08

The Committee carries on a major part of its work through highly specialized subcommittees composed of professionals in specific areas of activity who volunteer their services to the American Zionist Council. It is the subcommittee chairmen who have been instrumental, for the most part, in mobilizing these experts to serve with them to help interpret Israel to the general American public. In addition, the AZC staff carries on a number of activities on its own without benefit of these volunteers.

1. MagazinesCultivation of editors.Stimulation and placement of suitable articles in the major consumer magazines.Reprinting and distribution of favorable materials which appear in the above publications.Stimulation of articles in trade and specialized journals.Liaison with writers resident in Israel via a literary agent in New York for ideas and placement.

2. TV, Radio, FilmsThe department arranges for talks and interviews on Radio and TV, and servicing of film requests.It also cultivates leading personalities in these media.It encourages networks and stations to create programs revolving around Israel.

3. Christian Religious GroupsCultivation of key religious leaders and groups.Setting up seminars on Israel for Christian clergy.Stimulating of positive articles in the Protestant and Catholic press.Counteraction of hostile material in that press.Reprints and distribution of favorable materials in the church press.Stimulation of suitable articles in the journals of the Jewish religious groups.

4. Academic CirclesSupport of the American Association for Middle East Studies.Support of the Inter-University Committee on Israel.Cultivation of leaders in the academic community.Stimulation of "Israel Day" on college campuses.Cooperation with colleges and universities in setting up of seminars on the Middle East.Monitoring and counteraction of materials in the campus press.Stimulating of articles in academic journals.Guidance to student Zionists and other Jewish students on Arab-Israel issues.Counteraction of hostile faculty and Arab students.Preparation of materials for elementary and high school faculty.

6. BooksAssistance to publishers in the promotion of worthwhile books.Promotions of reviews of favorable books.Distribution of books to public and college libraries.

7. SpeakersThe Speakers Bureau will continue to utilize Israelis, American Christians, and American Jews on academic, religious, civic and other platforms around the country for positive presentations on Israel.

8. Liaison with organizations, both on the national and local levels, especially those with an international relations program.Special liaison with Negro community.

9. Projects and IssuesIssuance of special material and guidance on controversial issues such as Arab refugees, Syrian-Israel situation, etc.Programming for special occasions such as Yom Haatzmaut, etc.

10. Visitors to IsraelSubsidization to individual public opinion molders to help provide them with an experience in Israel. Inter-University Committee Study Tour to Israel.Organize other tours in which public opinion molders will participate.Provide suitable arrangements in Israel for handling of American visitors.

11. Counteracting the OppositionThe monitoring and counteraction of all activities carried out here by the Arabs, American Friends of the Middle East, and the American Council for Judaism.

12. MiscellaneousAnswering requests for information and providing suitable literature for the many thousands of requests annually received.

As shown by our Media Report Cards, the American press tends to provide extremely distorted coverage of the Israel-Palestine conflict. There are a number of factors that contribute to this troubling pattern of omission and misrepresentation. One of them is bias. In this section, we will provide information about how bias influences media coverage of this topic, and where this bias originates.

11/19/08

The truth that many people never understand, until it is too late, is that the more you try to avoid suffering the more you suffer because smaller and more insignificant things begin to torture you in proportion to your fear of being hurt. - Thomas Merton, US religious author, clergyman, & Trappist monk (1915 - 1968)

I still find it difficult to get my head around the so-called civilized world’s reactions—or rather lack of them—over the treatment being méted out to the Palestinian people by the state of Israel (and ably assisted by the West). In fact, I find it inconceivable that the actions of the Zionist state—comparable to that of the Nazi’s treatment of Jews and other minorities—elicits only brief 'news’ items from the Western media and rarely without its usual 'embedded’ commentary that it reserves for the opponents of Israel. Overall, the impression is created of two equal, but opposite sides, F-16 fighter-bombers and helicopter gunships, billions of dollars worth of the most sophisticated weapons of destruction on the planet versus crude, home-made Hamas rockets for example.

It's true. People don't want to look at the suffering of the Palestinian people. It might be upsetting. It might cause some guilt or remorse. It might cause some discomfort for nice Jewish people if we rudely notice Israel's barbarity against innocent children and expect someone to rise up in outrage but they just don't for some reason and it cannot be explained so just don't go there.

The same goes for those Iraqis whose country we destroyed. Don't look at the poor children in their suffering. You might feel bad and have to rethink everything you thought you knew about this country and that would really piss you off but good so just don't even bother to look and save yourself the trouble.

Because as everybody knows, recognizing the suffering of the Palestinians (or the Iraqis, or the Afghanis, or the Lebanese...) might cause suffering and discomfort to Israelis and Americans. Therefore, it is frowned upon.

"Why should we hear about body bags and deaths," Barbara Bush said on ABC's "Good Morning America" on March 18, 2003. "Oh, I mean, it's not relevant. So why should I waste my beautiful mind on something like that?" Source

Don't you understand? Racists believe that some people were created to suffer and others were not.

The idea that we are not all God’s children by reason of different belief systems was the starting point. Ergo, if you are not one of God’s children then you are less than human. It follows therefore that such creatures are not bound by our laws, they are little more than animals, or at best 'children’ and hence do not fall under the protection of 'God’s’ laws, they can be exploited just like any other product of Nature.

Thus explains the atrocities and ethnic cleansing orgies running through human history like a river of blood to this very day, as if nobody can ever be made to understand a thing and we are doomed to suffer forever and ever. Kill or be killed. Kill those other people so that we can protect what we have and thereby avoid suffering. This thinking is so stupid, and so old, and so ignorant, and so easily disproven with a very modest and sincere effort to seek the truth, that to still be living in a world of hate overwhelms God's people with despair. And the racists feed on that, too, because they feel threatened by everyone, and especially by those who they suspect could live in peace, meaning God's true people who are found in all times and places.

The little suffering the racists would endure by sacrificing their racist beliefs -- beliefs held so dear that they would rather cling to them in self-righteousness than suffer remorse in humility -- they will not pay that price. And they believe that God will preserve them from suffering in the end. It boggles the mind and belies their utter estrangement from God. Truly, people who foment war and steadfastly refuse to live in peace with their fellow human beings are the most miserable creatures on earth. It behooves us to pray for them, that God may touch them with profound regret before they rot in hell for all eternity.

11/18/08

You can watch the 60 Minutes interview of Barack Obama here. Having done so, I noticed a little tell at the one question that everybody knows required him to lie: what about Osama and al Qaida? His right eyelid droops a little during his answer.

In general I found Obama's eyes expressive and easy to focus on, in marked contrast to that ass, George W. Bush. I never could stand to watch Bush for even a few minutes without feeling my skin crawl, let alone focus on his actual eyeballs for minutes on end without talking to the tv and shooting a beer.

There's a lot of speculation about what Obama's doing and why, and of course that is as it should be. However, I'm not worried about him having a serious personality or psychological problem. As an INFJ, I have some confidence in my ability to spot these things. He's playing the cards he was dealt.

11/17/08

11/16/08

We are determined to enhance our cooperation and work together to restore global growth and achieve needed reforms in the world's financial systems.

Policy-makers, regulators and supervisors, in some advanced countries,did not adequately appreciate and address the risks building up in financial markets, keep pace with financial innovation, or take into account the systemic ramifications of domestic regulatory actions.

Regulation is first and foremost the responsibility of national regulators who constitute the first line of defense against market instability. However, our financial markets are global in scope, therefore, intensified international cooperation among regulators and strengthening of international standards, where necessary, and their consistent implementation is necessary to protect against adverse cross-border, regional and global developments affecting international financial stability.

Financial institutions must also bear their responsibility for the turmoil and should do their part to overcome it including by recognizing losses, improving disclosure and strengthening their governance and risk management practices.

In view of the role of the G20 in financial systems reform, we will meet again by April 30, 2009, to review the implementation of the principles and decisions agreed today.

We recognize that these reforms will only be successful if grounded in a commitment to free market principles, including the rule of law, respect for private property, open trade and investment, competitive markets, and efficient, effectively regulated financial systems.

We underscore the critical importance of rejecting protectionism and not turning inward in times of financial uncertainty.

Granted, this is not my area of expertise. I see much discussion of regulation, transparency, standards and oversight. That seems Good to me. Not a word about currencies. That also seems Good to me. Unless I broke it through overuse, my cynicism-meter did not fly over into the red zone. Surely I am missing something.

11/13/08

This first map is from FiveThirtyEight.com. They did a great job with the election projections. Since so many problems in this country still revolve around racism and the south, it's interesting to see how progress goes on that front. As 538 explains:

The Democrats seem to be on the verge of quarantining the Republicans to a few, relatively electorally dry areas. As compared with 1992, there has been a net swing of at least 19 points to the Republicans in seven states: Kentucky, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Louisiana, West Virginia, Wyoming and Arkansas. All of these states but Wyoming form a contiguous region, which we refer to as the "Highlands" region but which is more commonly called the Inland South...If you're going to have to sacrifice [the Dems, politically speaking] a particular region of the country, this is not a bad one to sacrifice.

The second map:

Matt Yglesias, June 11, 2008:What's that a map of? Well, recently the Census Bureau started asking people about ethnicity and ancestry. So you might say you were "Irish" or "Italian" or "German" or "Chinese" or "Cuban" instead of just white or Asian or whatever. But about seven percent of people identified themselves as "American." And as you can see, that "American" bloc is really concentrated in Appalachia and the southern highlands. Webb's favorite ethnic group, in short, seems to be the ethnic group with the least ethnic consciousness.

The American-Americans, June 12, 2008:Still, if you were to plot Scottish (and Ulster) immigration to the US on a map, you'd end up with something similar to the "American" map above. And that goes some way towards explaining why there's no significant Scottish political constituency in the United States. Equally, though some Scots and Ulster immigrants (the latter mainly Scots who'd been in Ulster for a generation or two) left for the New World involuntarily, many more did not. They were leaving for a reason and had little cause to look back with sentiment.

And of course, they left a long time ago (emigrants from post-WW1 Scotland, tended to head to Canda or New Zealand) and, being for the most part practical protestants, they did not so much assimilate into America as build it in the first place. No wonder, then, that despite the St Andrews' and Caledonian Societies scattered across America there's never been much of a Scots Lobby in American politics. The SNP, of course, would love it if there were such a lobby. But there are no collection tins being passed around Appalachian churches or in the bars of Columbia or Knoxville.

Equally, it's precisely because the descendents of these immigrants from lowland Scotland, Ulster (and the counties of northern England) consider themselves unhyphenated Americans that they have harboured, I'd suggest, suspicions of those more recent arrivals who consider themselves "ethnics" or otherwise hyphenated-Americans.

I don't know what exactly, if anything, can be done about this. I don't know that anything should be done except to understand what's going on in this country. It's tempting to see these people as backward and to keep them politically marginalized.

But... Perhaps it would behoove more of us to identify ourselves as simply Americans, and drop all the hyphenated qualifiers. Rather than having this group of people politically 'quarantined' as not 'fitting in', we should be expanding the number of people who consider themselves simply Americans. It should rightfully be an identification full and rich and encompassing all the talents and diversity of this nation, rather than a peculiarity of the Inland South. After all, those ancient Highland Scots didn't make it so. They clung to something basic while others accrued layers of complexity onto the American identity, for purposes of distinguishing themselves as different.

And perhaps some people in America cling a little too tightly to their hyphenated (ie: special) status. Please don't misunderstand. I think it's great that people preserve traditions of their heritage, and give their children family names, and enjoy special holidays and cuisine, and all the customs that go along with our family histories. I'm all for that, and my family does those things. But those things should not override our common interests as Americans, and when they start to do that, it's time to think about loyalties and get one's priorities straight. If you live here, and your kids go to school here, and you work here, and you pay taxes here, and you plan to stay here, and your relatives are buried here; then you need to put this country's interests ahead of any other country's interests. Period.

I'm not defending the racist baloney that comes out of this dark red swath of our country, because it makes me sick. But I strongly prefer when people are loyal to this country. That's how I was brought up, and I appreciate it when others share that value. It's a good value, and it's exactly the value which has been corrupted in insidious ways, leading us to the malignant situation where Israeli dual nationals, for instance, have ensconced themselves throughout our government in the highest echelons. If we had more jealously guarded our identity as Americans as a precious and valuable thing, the current situation could not have progressed to this perilous state.

Unfortunately, skilled manipulators can transform good things into something ugly. A healthy sense of nationalism can morph into jingoism, as we have seen. But to over correct that trend is also an error. We have to find the solid ground to stand on, and that requires everyone in this country to share just one single priority: the national interest of the United States. Not a particular region, or state, or ethnic group; but the interest of all 300+ million of us. Obviously -- not an easy thing to do, and that's why we elect leaders. But it is easy for each person to make the commitment in his or her own heart to put this nation's interest ahead of all other loyalties, in a mature way, which necessarily means that sometimes you won't be happy with certain decisions. That's the price of living in a great big country. A generosity of spirit made America great once before, and it would still work if we but embraced it and reclaimed it for ourselves. But! Everyone has to do it together, or else some groups of people will take advantage of others. That can no longer be overlooked or tolerated if we are to survive as a nation.

This is the new wisdom we must take from our bitter suffering. Adam and Eve were tossed out of Paradise after eating from the Tree of Knowledge. Just so, we bit the apple, and we're out in the cold. We all know about evil now, don't we? We can't go forward anymore in American la-la land where anything goes. This time, when we rebuild America, things have to be different. We all have to be American-Americans.

11/11/08

A source close to the al-Qaeda leadership in Yemen has warned in a report that a new attack against the US will aim 'to change the world [both] politically and economically'.

The report published by an Arabic-language newspaper in London, Al-Quds Al-Arabi, claimed that Bin Laden is closely supervising preparations for the attack, which will be far greater than those of 9/11.

The former Yemeni operative added in the report that the terror group is currently in a 'positive phase' of staffing and rebuilding training camps around the globe.

The report cited the unnamed source as claiming that al-Qaeda may provide indications of its future plans over the next few days.

Just so you can keep score at home exactly who has terrorized you in the past, present and future, though they very graciously give you plenty of warnings so you can be in a good state of panic first.

For instance, the Bush Administration accused the MEK (Mujahedin-e Khalq Organization) of having 1000 pages of documents found on a stolen laptop which proved that Iran was seeking nuclear weapons. But these documents originated in Israel.

Since 2002, new information has emerged indicating that the MEK did not obtain the 2002 data on Natanz itself but received it from the Israeli intelligence agency Mossad. Yossi Melman and Meier Javadanfar, who co-authored a book on the Iranian nuclear programme last year, write that they were told by “very senior Israeli Intelligence officials” in late 2006 that Israeli intelligence had known about Natanz for a full year before the Iranian group’s press conference. They explained that they had chosen not to reveal it to the public “because of safety concerns for the sources that provided the information”.

Shahriar Ahy, an adviser to monarchist leader Reza Pahlavi, told journalist Connie Bruck that the detailed information on Natanz had not come from MEK but from “a friendly government, and it had come to more than one opposition group, not only the mujahideen.”

Bruck wrote in the New Yorker on Mar, 16, 2006 that when he was asked if the “friendly government” was Israel, Ahy smiled and said, “The friendly government did not want to be the source of it, publicly. If the friendly government gives it to the U.S. publicly, then it would be received differently. Better to come from an opposition group.”

Israel has maintained a relationship with the MEK since the late 1990s, according to Bruck, including assistance to the organisation in beaming broadcasts by the NCRI from Paris into Iran. An Israeli diplomat confirmed that Israel had found the MEK “useful”, Bruck reported, but the official declined to elaborate.

In other words, some governments may decide to use 'terrorist' groups to bring certain information into the public domain. They do this to facilitate their agendas. And this friendly arrangement somewhat belies the fact that the 'terrorists' and the 'friendly' governments are not so much in opposition really. You could say they work on the same team.

And sure enough, the MEK shows up on this list: (scroll down to the Ms -- it's a long list)

While we await the imminent stand-off between the United States Revolutionary Criminal Klepto- Government and the US military, who realise that the United States is in the position of Germany in 1933 and who are telling US that they will act with the honour and integrity that the German military lacked then, we can contemplate the following list of Revolutionary, Terrorist, Drug-Trafficking and Para-State Entities which form components of the WORLD REVOLUTION through which we are all (still) living. By drawing attention to such external entities, the American authorities (and those of other criminalist Governments) typically aim to divert attention from their OWN odious terrorist and drug-trafficking operations, which are beyond despicable and MUST be exposed as we continue to rack up progress with unmasking the Octopus-like, self-destructing World Revolution generally.

Summers, Geithner, Corzine, Volker, Fischer, Phil Gramm, Bernanke, Hank Paulson, Rubin, not to mention Alan Greenspan, al al. are buddies; they play golf together; they have links to the Council on Foreign Relations and the Bilderberg; they act concurrently in accordance with the interests of Wall Street; they meet behind closed doors; they are on the same wave length; they are Democrats and Republicans. While they may disagree on some issues, they are firmly committed to the Washington-Wall Street Consensus. They are utterly ruthless in their management of economic and financial processes. Their actions are profit driven. Outside of their narrow interest in the "efficiency" of "markets", they have little concern for "living human beings". How are people's lives affected by the deadly gamut of macro-economic and financial reforms, which is spearheading entire sectors of economic activity into bankruptcy.

The economic reasoning underlying neoliberal economic discourse is often cynical and contemptuous. In this regard, Lawrence Summers' economic discourse stands out. He is known among environmentalists for having proposed the dumping of toxic waste in Third World countries, because people in poor countries have shorter lives and the costs of labor are abysmally low, which essentially means that the market value of people in the Third World is much lower. According to Summers, this makes it far more "cost effective" to export toxic materials to impoverished countries. A controversial 1991 World Bank memo signed by of Chief Economist Larry Summers reads as follows (excerpts, emphasis added):

"'Dirty' Industries: Just between you and me, shouldn't the World Bank be encouraging MORE migration of the dirty industries to the Less Developed Countries? I can think of three reasons:

1) The measurements of the costs of health impairing pollution depends on the foregone earnings from increased morbidity and mortality.... From this point of view a given amount of health impairing pollution should be done in the country with the lowest cost, which will be the country with the lowest wages. I think the economic logic behind dumping a load of toxic waste in the lowest wage country is impeccable and we should face up to that.

2) The costs of pollution are likely to be non-linear as the initial increments of pollution probably have very low cost. I've always though that under-populated countries in Africa are vastly UNDER-polluted, their air quality is probably vastly inefficiently low compared to Los Angeles or Mexico City. Only the lamentable facts that so much pollution is generated by non-tradable industries (transport, electrical generation) and that the unit transport costs of solid waste are so high prevent world welfare enhancing trade in air pollution and waste.

3) The demand for a clean environment for aesthetic and health reasons is likely to have very high income elasticity. [the demand increases when income levels increase]. The concern over an agent that causes a one in a million change in the odds of prostrate cancer is obviously going to be much higher in a country where people survive to get prostrate cancer than in a country where under 5 mortality is is 200 per thousand.... "

Summers stance on the export of pollution to developing countries had a marked impact on US environmental policy:

In 1994, "virtually every country in the world broke with Mr. Summers' Harvard-trained "economic logic" ruminations about dumping rich countries' poisons on their poorer neighbors, and agreed to ban the export of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD [developing] countries under the Basel Convention. Five years later, the United States is one of the few countries that has yet to ratify the Basel Convention or the Basel Convention's Ban Amendment on the export of hazardous wastes from OECD to non-OECD countries. (Jim Valette, Larry Summers' War Against the Earth, Counterpunch, undated)

These Basel Conventions play an key role in the unfolding financial crisis, which of course explains why the US does not want to ratify them. It also explains why nobody ever discusses them in the corporate media. But other countries have grown sick and tired of US corruption, and they have tried to put some limits back into the system.

Because, apparently, destroying the world means nothing to Larry Summers if he can make money in the process.

No servant can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. Luke 16:13

11/8/08

Sarah Palin cannot respond to anonymous allegations. But her explanation about the clothes leaves me puzzled. She says the clothes belong to the RNC, and nobody has told her that lawyers are coming to AlasKUH! to rummage through her closets. She said, while modestly polishing her halo, that she never asked the RNC for anything aside from an occasional Diet Dr. Pepper. (She just helped herself, being an independent survivalist gal from the tundra.) But then she said that staffers packed clothes into suitcases that were subsequently placed in the belly of the plane, presumably to go with Sarah back to AlasKUH! But they're not her clothes, see, because they belong to the RNC. She just gets to wear them.

11/7/08

Do you see the problem? Rahm is not an American. He's not an American Jew. He's certainly not a Jewish American. He's an Israeli, and the Israelis think that it's just swell when they have a guy representing them ensconced inside the White House, for instance.

The article goes on to say, without a hint of embarassment...

Emanuel, a former Bill Clinton adviser, is the son of a Jerusalem-born pediatrician who was a member of the Irgun (Etzel or IZL), a militant Zionist [terrorist - Ed.] group that operated in Palestine between 1931 and 1948.

In strikingly racist remarks, the father of Rahm Emanuel has said Israel will benefit from Obama's choice of White House chief of staff.

"Obviously he will influence the president to be pro-Israel. Why wouldn't he be? What is he, an Arab? He's not going to clean the floors of the White House," Benjamin Emanuel, father of Rahm Emanuel, told the Israeli Ma'ariv daily.

Webster Tarplay gives an interview about Obama and Brzezinski and their plans to manipulate and possibly even confront China and Russia. He is very alarmed.

Here's a quick recap. He's saying that Obama's policies put us into grave danger because he is controlled by a 'clique of bankers', the Trilateral Commission (Rockefeller, Soros, etc.), and they are determined to smash Russia and China apart as the new center of world power. Rather than pursuing the neocon policy of picking on "shitty little countries" like Iraq, Iran, and Syria, Zbig would have those countries used as tools against Russia and China.

New targets include Sudan, which supplies 7% of China's oil, and Pakistan, which will be carved up -- just like Iraq -- to destroy their usefulness as allies to China or Russia. India and Japan become something like swing states in this battle. The end goal is to pit China against Russia, who then (theoretically) destroy each other, leaving the US and UK as the last power standing. European countries would be used as pawns to execute this plan. Many of the destabilizing actions undertaken would be covert ops predictably resulting in humanitarian missions, and that is how the conflicts begin and blossom.

This all represents imperialism under new ownership. Tarplay's main worry seems to be that Obama will be very effective selling this new imperialism given his mantra of change, great appeal, and the world's willingness to meet him half way after eight years of GWB and the neocons.

Let's think about the choices being presented to people in power today. On the one hand, we have this NWO agenda, which comes dressed as some kind of UN/kumbaya/let's all get along and share currencies thing, but of course which requires that nations sacrifice their sovereignty in exchange for 'peace.' This is the poison pill. Understandably, patriotic people recoil at this thought, and that drives them to oppose the NWO agenda. But that leaves them, naturally, protecting their national sovereignty from challenges. From there, it's a short step to war.

In this case, Tarplay describes a situation where our status as a world power is now challenged by Russia and China. We may conflate our world power status with national sovereignty, since we have always been accustomed to getting whatever we wanted in the world, by use of force when necessary. And in the sense that the winner makes the rules, being a world power does in fact bequeath a supra-national sovereignty. We can do whatever we want, and we don't want China and Russia to ever be in a position to dictate to us. This attitude weakens the NWO-agenda, doesn't it? But it is somewhat warlike at the same time.

What is the alternative? Isn't it better for the US to balance it's power against very intelligent and worthy opponents like Russia and China rather than run amok destroying the relatively defenseless Middle East on behalf of Israel? Does a multi-polar world provide more stability than the one currently disintegrating before our very eyes? I think it does.

China and Russia have intelligent leaders. They have tremendous intelligence operations which will help them avoid falling into traps. Who knows what secrets have been sold or otherwise compromised, thereby foiling all sorts of nefarious plans for world domination? They will not easily be lured into conflicts, and smaller countries like Syria and Iran have also shown tremendous restraint to being baited into conflicts. While it's very important that people remain aware of these large agendas in play, executing these grand plans is much easier said than done.

The problem today is that everything appears suspicious. If people talk peace, they must be looking to sacrifice national sovereignty and institute the NWO. If people talk war, they must be looking to break countries down and institute the NWO. All roads seem to lead to the same place. And maybe they do. Maybe the NWO bankers have the game rigged to benefit themselves in 9 out of 10 possible scenarios, or maybe even 99 out of 100. They know how to profit from war, and they know how to profit from any 'peace' that they define and offer. Real peace they cannot profit from, but real peace requires people to rise above their petty selves, and that might require toning down the nationalism a few clicks, and that brings you back to the kumbaya and the NWO...

See what I mean? It's like a labyrinth. We don't know how to get out. But there is a way out, and we have to find it. Of course, we can always go up and rise above it.

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